"My Lady, I forgot you guys, we have already left the battalion…"
After the truce of the first phase of the invasion, 8-10 soldiers were left as guards in the Turkish Cypriot village of Agios Symeon in Karpasia, remembers Simos Ioannou.
The women and children and old men stayed in the village. The rest were taken prisoner to Gialousa. Our behavior was impeccable with the residents, a fact that had a positive impact on the trapped Greek Cypriots. The remaining conscripts and reservists of the 291st Infantry Battalion were located around the villages of Galatia, Platanissos and Galinoporni. The inhabitants of Korovia managed to enter the pocket of Galinoporni before the village was occupied, so there was no guard in Korovia.
We were looking forward to the results of the talks in Geneva. We heard from the news from two small transistors we had in our possession. Sadness and embarrassment were painted on our faces on the night of August 13, because we already knew that the conversations had collapsed. Nobody knew what our mission was the next day. We woke up, although we did not even sleep, and went out of the tents listening to the bombardment of the planes that crossed the sky of Karpasia.
RIK conveyed that there is strong resistance and we had the hidden hope that we would keep the line. Between 3:00 and 4:00 in the afternoon we saw from the hill a military phalanx of 5-6 trucks leaving Galinoporni and heading west. We realized that something was wrong. Immediately the radio operator tried to get in touch with the headquarters of the battalion located in Akrades in Agios Andronikos. Coincidentally, we caught the conversation of the colonel of the group in Trikomo, who gave an order to the commander of the 291st Infantry Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Kyriakos Mavros, to immediately deploy the forces to the British. This probably happened first and after an hour we saw the phalanx leave.
"I will never forget the women from Karpas who went to the Vespers of the Virgin Mary with their huts in their hands. Unfortunately, the order of the military was not to report to the residents that there was a fold - abandonment. Of course, after the turn to Galatia, the people understood that we were leaving and panicked, the army followed "
After an effort of two hours we managed to get in touch with our lieutenant with the battalion and to everyone's surprise he said: "My Lady, I forgot you guys, we have already left the battalion…" There was no panic between us and we discussed how to leave. Finally, at the suggestion of soldier Barnabas, we put oil in a single-cab Pegeuot carrying animals, started it and took the road, after first loading my Vicker machine gun. The tragedy was that the people in the villages we passed thought we were going to Galatia and applauded us. The Karpasitissa women who went to the Vespers of the Virgin Mary with their huts in their hands will never leave my mind. Unfortunately, the order of the military was not to report to the residents that there was a fold - abandonment. Of course, after the turn to Galatia, the people realized that we were leaving and the army followed in panic.
During the escape before us, Turkish ships tried to hit the motorcade in the area of Harafti. We avoided Salaminos Avenue that passed outside the walls, because we knew what was happening and through Agios Loukas we went out to Larnakos Avenue that leads to the "4 Mile".
It was there that we met the rest of the battalion returning from the "4 Miles", because the British wanted us to hand over our weapons. We gathered in a field and the commander asked if anyone knew the way to get to the new road to Nicosia, to escape from another road. I, who knew the area, was eager and entered at the head of the procession. From Larnakos Avenue we turned right on Gorgiou Street and passed right in front of my house, where there was no soul. It did not occur to me then that this would be the last time I would see my house, my neighborhood. We passed in front of the elementary school of Agios Loukas, where I learned my first letters, we went out on the new road, tonight. We turned left at Prastio and exited at Contea, where the Turkish tanks were already in Vatili. We passed Arsos, Tremetousia, Troullous, Livadia and went out to the refineries and then at 1:00 in the middle of the night we ended up under the olive trees and locusts in England.
I will not mention the further odyssey of the battalion in the battles of Karavos and the great flight of the soldiers after the complete disorganization and abandonment. The responsibilities are very great in the then military leadership for the abandonment of the city of Famagusta. More than 1.500 soldiers who left Karpasia, as many as were in Famagusta, could, as happened in Agios Pavlos in Nicosia, resist in residential areas from "Constantia" to "4 Mile". Definitely the purpose of the Turks was to enter the medieval city and occupy the surrounding neighborhoods. The districts of Ai-Yorkui, Naples, Nea Smyrni and much of St. Luke were certainly lost. But it was impossible for them to cross the road from "4 Mile" to Achna, which is considered British territory. There was no plan from the then military leadership. Some claim that this decision was made to avoid bloodshed and the capture of more soldiers.
46 years later we are looking for the reasons and the lost opportunities for the non-return of the Famagusta people to their ancestral homes. We are in the one to fully legitimize the occupation and in the last uninhabited part, the enclosed area. To call, they say, the former owners of the properties to return under "Turkish Cypriot administration". This will of course be the tombstone not only for Famagusta, but also for the whole Cypriot problem.
So our intention to return to the negotiating table must be clear and unambiguous, to have a dynamic and effective Plan B in the event of their plans to change the "status quo" of the enclave and violate UN Security Council resolutions. . Constant pressure on the forces influencing Turkey that the opening of the enclosed area of Varos outside the auspices of the United Nations will have very serious consequences for the solution of the Cyprus problem.
Source: dialogos